Allianz opens South Korean branch to target growth in Asia

Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS), the corporate insurance carrier of Germany's Allianz, is expanding its presence across Asia with a new branch office in South Korea to serve global corporate clients.

Noh Chang Tae has been appointed to assume the role of CEO of AGCS South Korea. Chang Tae was previously in the regional market management team in AGCS Singapore, and has almost 25 years of experience in the insurance market.

The AGCS South Korea branch will focus on serving companies with multinational operations extending beyond the country. It will offer a variety of product lines, including engineering, financial lines, property, marine, MidCorp and liability.

According to the statement, AGCS has become the first foreign non-life insurer in almost a decade to receive regulatory approval from South Korea’s Financial Services Commission (FSC) to open a branch in Seoul operating with a local insurance license.

AGCS has been active in the South Korean market for several years providing reinsurance capacity for local insurers. The new branch is the latest addition to AGCS Asia’s regional footprint which currently includes Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, China, India, Brunei and Myanmar, supported by Allianz Group entities and network partners in other countries.

Chang Tae said: "AGCS has been serving the South Korean corporate insurance market since 2010 from the AGCS Hong Kong and Singapore offices but having an on-shore presence in Seoul will allow local teams to deliver more tailored and relevant solutions for our customers.

"The South Korean team will initially consist of 13 underwriters and market facing staff, which will be reinforced through additional hiring of local talent," he added.

According to the company, the Asian business contributed 5 percent to AGCS overall global premium volume of €7.6 billion in 2016. The opening of the South Korea branch means that AGCS now operates with its own teams in 31 countries globally including all the top 10 insurance markets worldwide, as well as through other Allianz companies or network partners in over 210 countries and territories.

Carsten Scheffel, AGCS board member and chief regions and markets officer for Asia, said: "A local South Korean branch presents a unique opportunity for AGCS and will play a key role in our Asian growth strategy. We have been active in this thriving market for several years.

"The local office in Seoul will allow us to serve both local South Korean and global companies with South Korean interests much more efficiently. Already, more than 11% of our global clients have operations in South Korea protected under our international insurance programmes."

South Korea is the world’s 11th largest economy and the 4th largest in Asia. AGCS estimates that the Asian non-life insurance market currently accounts for about 30 percent of global market premiums and AGCS expects this to grow approximately 5 percent each year.

AGCS stated that it sees significant opportunities for growth in the corporate and specialty insurance segment in South Korea. The country’s rising number of large infrastructure projects in railways, ports and subway lines, and a focus on environmental liability require tailored insurance solutions with significant capacity. In addition, the South Korean economy receives strong contributions from the automotive, electronics and high-tech communication industries, all of which complements AGCS’s areas of specialist expertise.

Mark Mitchell, regional CEO for AGCS Asia, commented: "We have seen an increase in demand for global insurance programs as more South Korean firms look to expand overseas as well as from the growing pool of global corporations with South Korean interests.

"AGCS is one of the very few global insurers to focus exclusively on the needs of global corporate and specialty clients. Our expertise in serving clients with international activities will allow us to provide the best coverage for clients as they seek to compete on a global scale."

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